NAPLES, Fla. — Two 3-and-a-half-month-old Florida panther kittens were struck and killed by a vehicle Sunday on Davis Boulevard in Naples, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The female kittens were found about 110 yards apart on opposite sides of the road. Their deaths mark the 11th and 12th panther fatalities in the state this year.
WATCH TO HEAR THE CHANGE CONSERVATIONISTS ARE PUSHING FOR:
"It's devastating — losing any panther, especially kittens — and two female kittens — is just really tragic," said Meredith Budd, president of the board of the Friends of Florida Panther Refuge.
Budd's group has advocated for more wildlife crossings as development expands into panther habitat.
"If we can get them implemented in strategic areas where we know panthers and other wildlife cross roads, we can direct animals into the structure and avoid these sorts of collisions," Budd said.
Of the 12 vehicle-related panther deaths reported statewide in 2025, half have occurred in Collier County, making it the deadliest county for panthers so far this year. FWC data also show the kittens killed Sunday were among the youngest panthers lost in nearly two years.
Chelsea Wisner, land conservation project manager for Conservation Florida, said wildlife crossings are important, but preserving land is equally critical.
"We're really focused on preserving the lands that create opportunities for better connectivity — especially around roads," Wisner said. "Making sure that we have smart plans for where development happens and where conservation lands happen so that we're not spreading ourselves thin so that we see that plan of a functional corridor come to fruition."
FWC estimates there are 120 to 230 adult Florida panthers left in the wild. The population has rebounded from near-extinction levels in the 1990s, when only a few dozen remained, but is still far below historic numbers.
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